


Take My Hand (Take My Whole Life Too)

by Elri



Category: Wonder Woman (2017), Wonder Woman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Gen, Multi, Touch-Starved, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-04 10:07:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17302649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elri/pseuds/Elri
Summary: “Sometimes I think of you and my fingers ache from the memory of your skin.” — Nikita GillDiana grew up around people who were not afraid of touch, in the world of man she finds herself missing it





	Take My Hand (Take My Whole Life Too)

When Diana was little, her mother held her hand like she was tethering Diana to the ground, trying to keep her from flying off into the sun, trying to keep her safe. Diana’s hand was held when her tutors were leading her around the island, keeping her from running away. It was held when someone was helping her climb up the high steps until her legs were long enough that she could do it herself. Aunts Antiope and Menalippe liked to hold her hands and swing her between them, sometimes swinging her high and letting go, letting her soar for a moment. Hippolyta never approved so they tried not to let her see, especially when they swung her over the cliff edge into the ocean below, Diana screaming happily all the way down.

The Amazons held hands, too. When they were practicing silent maneuvers or hunting, they would use coded hand squeezes to communicate. They gave each other a helping hand on the field to get back up on their feet or onto a horse. Sometimes they would grasp hands or wrists as they were running drills, taking a moment to ground themselves. Close friends would hold hands walking down the streets. There were more tender moments, too; once, Diana was hiding on the cliffs above the beach to avoid her bedtime and saw Antiope and Menalippe walking along the sand, hands clasped, and bodies pressed side-to-side so close they were almost one person. Their heads were inclined towards each other, whispering secrets for only them to hear. Other couples could also be seen tucked away, stealing a moment alone, with fingers woven together and hearts eternally bonded. None of them were ashamed of their relationships, that’s not why they hid, it was just easier to have a meaningful moment not surrounded by dear friends who would almost certainly ruin it with good-natured teasing.

So when Diana asked Steve why the couple was holding hands, she was trying to determine what that gesture meant in the world of man. His answer led her to believe that they were holding hands so as not to get separated in the crowds of that hideous city, but his response when she tried to hold his hand showed that obviously he’d been vaguely misleading. She didn’t try to take his hand again, though she did notice that he tended to put his hand on her arm when he wanted to redirect her. He did give her his hand later when he was helping her onto the boat that would take them towards the front, giving her stability on the gangplank, but he dropped it almost right away.

It seemed as though touch was something rarely given. While it was inevitable that people would bump into each other, they didn’t reach out very much. Etta did give Steve a hug, and Sami tried to do the same to Diana, but otherwise everyone kept their hands to themselves. The exception to this was Sami and Charlie, more on the part of Sami than Charlie. He helped his friend into a chair after he’d gotten knocked down by the burly man he’d apparently stolen a drink from. He also helped Charlie stand and sit back down when Sir Patrick arrived, Charlie seemingly too drunk to fully comprehend what was going on. Diana wanted to reach out to someone, but she didn’t know these people, and didn’t think it would be accepted. She missed the familiar, strong hands of her mother and aunts and warrior women she’d grown up with. Instead, she wrapped herself a little tighter in the cloak that still smelled like Themyscira and tried to focus on putting and end to this war.

When they met up with Chief, she saw the easier familiarity Sami and Charlie had with him compared to Steve, and wondered if it was the history between their people or something about the tiredness in Steve’s eyes that kept them distant. Diana was touched when Chief took his glove off to offer her his hand, and almost did the same, but was still hesitant to be too familiar with a strange man, demi-god or not. She tried to reach out to Charlie when he screamed in his sleep, but was pushed away as she’d feared would happen. None of the others went after him, but when he came back later after she’d lain down to sleep, she heard Sami get up and move over to Charlie’s side of the fire.

She began noticing more touches as they continued. When the woman from Veld stopped her to ask for help, it was the despair in her grip as well as the plea in her voice that made Diana stop. Sami was quick to lay a reassuring hand on Charlie when he couldn’t take the shot. The citizens of Veld held onto each other after the battle was over, not caring what their relations had been before. Sami stayed by Charlie’s side, Chief offered comforting touches to the people along with food and blankets. Steve held her hand and put his arm around her as they danced, even brushed her hair out of her face. In her room that night, his first touch had been hesitant, almost chaste, but when she’d gently pulled him forward into the kiss his hand curled into her hair with a desperation for contact that she’d become familiar with.

As they got ready to head to German High Command, she saw Sami and Charlie giving each other the occasional pat on the arm, letting each other know they were there. She saw Chief run his thumb along a beaded bracelet that was normally hidden beneath his layers. Later, she would learn that it was a gift from a long time ago that he carried with him as a piece of home for when he was far away. Steve kept his distance, but there was a spark in him that Diana hadn’t seen since she met him, a hope for the future.

Ludendorf’s touch burned, it was meant to bind and control her. She wanted to cut his hands off as well as his head and then scrub him off of her.

Steve tried to take her hands again in Veld, offer her comfort, but she pushed him away. She wishes still that she hadn’t. On the tower he kept pulling back, only barely touching her for moments as he pleaded with her to understand. She still wishes she had sooner.

Ares never touched her, never got close. He stayed distant, impersonal.

After the smoke had settled and the sun began to rise, Sami dug Charlie out of the wreckage, looking each other over for injuries without letting go. Chief comforted a young man barely older than a boy, silently reminding him there was still kindness left.

As she stood with the others in the middle of the victory celebration, she reached out to each of them. She held Etta’s hand as they pushed through the crowd, accepted and returned Sami’s hug, touched Charlie’s face when he hesitated so he knew she still welcomed him. She touched Steve’s photo, wishing it was him.

Some nights, Diana could still feel the way Steve had held onto her as he said goodbye, his touch lingering as he tried to hold contact for as long as possible. Now, she held onto his watch and the memories of gentle, calloused hands.


End file.
